Overview

Even famous detectives need their down time, and the vainglorious Hercule Poirot is spending his at a seaside resort hotel known for its good food, sports, and congenial guests. Of course, Poirot is quickly drafted when tragedy strikes the Jolly Roger. Arlene Stuart Marshall is known for her flirtatious ways, openly cavorting with Patrick Redfern while her husband, Captain Marshall, and Patrick's wife watch helplessly. When Arlene is found floating face down in a nearby cove, her husband is immediately suspected....

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Overview

Even famous detectives need their down time, and the vainglorious Hercule Poirot is spending his at a seaside resort hotel known for its good food, sports, and congenial guests. Of course, Poirot is quickly drafted when tragedy strikes the Jolly Roger. Arlene Stuart Marshall is known for her flirtatious ways, openly cavorting with Patrick Redfern while her husband, Captain Marshall, and Patrick's wife watch helplessly. When Arlene is found floating face down in a nearby cove, her husband is immediately suspected. But Poirot has his doubts. The fastidious sleuth digs deeper into the case and discovers much more going on at the Jolly Roger — drug smuggling, religious mania, mysterious love letters, unsolved previous murders, and even voodoo.

Men desired her. Women despised her. But when the tempting Arlena Marshall is found strangled at the Jolly Roger Hotel, only one man can unravel the mystery: Hercule Poirot. Reissue.

Alan Bradley

Editorial Reviews

Times Literary Supplement

Christie springs her secret like a land mine.

New York Herald Tribune

A surprise conclusion of high voltage. You can't go wrong with this one.

Publishers Weekly

Considered by many to be one of the very best Agatha Christie mysteries, this macabre tale has lost none of its crisp intrigue since it was first published in 1940. Using a plot formula that has since become a mystery standard, Christie conveniently gathers all the characters in one hard-to-leave location, in this case, the Jolly Roger, a vacation hotel on the southern coast of England. One of the guests, a gorgeous, dramatic flirt, is strangled to death, and the famous detective Hercule Poirot who happens to be vacationing at the Jolly Roger, too sets out to solve the case. Each of the well-developed characters is suspect, and listeners will constantly be changing their bets as to whodunit. British stage actor Suchet, who many know as the definitive Poirot from the Public Television Mystery! series was an obvious choice for the reader of this production, having won an Audie award for reading Christie's Mysterious Affair at Styles in 1997. Suchet gives an outstanding and highly entertaining performance, obviously taking great zeal in the task of fleshing out Christie's colorful lot of characters. (Feb.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

These are the initial eight volumes in what will grow to 24 over two years in Black Dog's new "Agatha Christie Collection." The books are all decent-quality hardcovers for a bargain price. If you're regularly replacing your Christies, gives these more durable editions a try. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Times Literary Supplement (London)

“She springs her secret like a land mine.”

Alan Bradley

"Hercule Poirot will live on forever because, like Chaplin’s Little Tramp (that other immortal in moustache and bowler hat) he has the ability to solve the problems of the world."

Meet the Author

More by this Author

Agatha Christie was born in 1890 and created the detective Hercule Poirot in her debut novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920). She achieved wide popularity with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926) and produced a total of eighty novels and short-story collections over six decades. Twenty-four of Christie's best whodunits are now available from Black Dog & Leventhal as part of their bestselling hardcover Agatha Christie Collection.

Biography

Agatha Christie is the world's best-known mystery writer. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language, and another billion in 44 foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time in any language, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. Her writing career spanned more than half a century, during which she wrote 79 novels and a short story collection, as well as 14 plays, one of which, The Mousetrap, is the longest running play in history. Two of the characters she created, the brilliant Belgian detective Hercule Poirot and the irrepressible and relentless Miss Marple, went on to become world famous detectives. Both have been widely dramatized in feature films and made-for-TV movies. Agatha Christie died in 1976.

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Christie at its best... as always!

Wow... what a story! Just finished it this afternoon and I'm still amazed at the extensive ideas and plots Christie invents and writes. After every book of Agatha Christie's I'm 'wowed', but this one is wonderful. A must-read that keeps you on your toes and guessing until the end. You think you're right-but alas!-in the end the murderer(s) is as unexpectable as your best friend!

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted October 11, 2003

Partners in crime do it again, but who?

This book is full of excellent twists and turns. I don't think you be able to guess this amazingly clever murder plot. You will be guessing from page one to the last page. Don't get caught without this incredible Hercule Poirot murder mystery story.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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Evil Under the Sun

Loved it. I love Christie's character Hercule Poirot. Easy reading with a great plot and interesting characters.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted February 14, 2008

Evil Under the Sun

Evil Under the Sun ¿But man alive, don¿t you feel it in the air? All around you? The presence of evil.¿ [Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie pg.14] It is a warm summer and lots of people are spending it on the island of Leathercombe Bay, the most unlikely spot for a murder, but then Arlena Stuart Marshall is found strangled in Pixy Cove. Luckily enough, the famous Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, is here on vacation. Evil Under the Sun is a very exciting book! Evil Under the Sun is a great read because it is so difficult to figure out who is the murderer and why they killed Arlena Stuart Marshall. At first you might think it was Christine Redfern because her husband was infatuated with Arlena Stuart Marshall. Then you might think it could be one of her old lovers, jealous because she loves another man. Or maybe it is her mysterious husband, since no one can tell what his true feelings are. Evil Under the Sun is a romance at the same time it is a murder mystery. Arlena is left £50,000 by an old lover. Patrick Redfern is infatuated with Arlena, but is already married to Christine. Rosamund Darnley finally gets to marry the man she¿s always dreamed of marrying now that Arlena is dead. In Evil Under the Sun, Agatha Christie makes the characters seem so real. The way she describes Hercule Poirot it makes you able to visualize a detective who has a ¿magnificent mustache¿. She leads you to imagine how beautiful Arlena is compared to Christine and what it seemed like when every man¿s eye turns to stare at Arlena as she enters the beach. Evil Under the Sun is very exciting! It has murder, romance, a very amazing cas of characters. This book is impossible to put down until you finish!

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Anonymous

Posted July 10, 2002

Nothing is exactly what it seems!

Arlena Marshall men loved her, women hated her,and no one is surprised when she is found Murdered on a beach that one can only get to by one of two ways.Luckly Poirot is there to prove that the impossible is possible!

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Anonymous

Posted November 6, 2001

One of the Best Poirot Books!!

This book was great! There were a lot of suspects to choose from and all of them seemed so innocent. Either of them could have done it. When I found out who the murderer was I was very shocked! This is a great book and really read this one!!

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Anonymous

Posted August 28, 2001

Classic Christie starring Perfect Poirot!!!

This book is a testament of Christie's amazing writing ability!!! With the turn of every page comes a new twist and turn!!! (Also a delightful movie starring Peter Ustinov!)

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Anonymous

Posted August 11, 2000

Genius under the Sun

This book shows why Agatha Christie is the undisputed Queen of Suspense. It keeps you guessing and you still won't figure it out.

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Anonymous

Posted May 1, 2000

ANOTHER POIROT FAVORITE

If you think the book is fantastic, you should see the movie. Agatha really did her best on this one ,and one can tell just by reading the book.

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